What is electricity?

Electricity is the result of the movement of electric charge and is commonly referred to as "electricity". Finally, it has its origin in electromagnetic power: one of the four basic natural forces and the one that is responsible for the behavior of electrically charged objects. Electricity is the result of interaction of subatomical particles with this force. Electricity is manifested in natural phenomena, such as lightning, and is essential for life. People's ability to create, transmit and store electricity is essential for modern industry, technology and in most domestic life countries.

origin of electricity

There are two types of electric charge called positive and negative. If two electrically charged objects are approached together, they will experience strength. If the fees are the same - positive or both negative - the power will act to promote objects apart. If they have different fees, they attract each other. This repellent or attraction is known as an electromagnEthical force and can be used to create electricity flow.

atoms consist of a core containing a positively charged protons, orbiting negatively charged electrons. Protons usually remain in the core, but electrons can move from atom to atom, allowing them to flow materials such as metals that perform electricity. A place with excess electrons on the protons will have a negative charge; A place with a deficit will have a positive charge. Because the opposite charges attract each other, electrons will flow from a negatively charged area to a positively charged if they allow it and create an electric current.

Using electricity

electricity is useful both in itself and as a means of transferring energy over long distances. This is necessary for various industrial processes, telecommunications and internet, computers, TVs and many other devices in normal use. It can also be converted into other forms of energy for use in various other applications.

When the electric current flows through the conductor, it generates a certain amount of heat. The generated amount depends on how well the material leads to electricity. A good conductor, such as copper, produces very little. For this reason, copper conductors and cables are commonly used to transmit electricity: when heat is produced, energy is lost, so a good conductor minimizes energy loss. Materials that make electricity less well, produce more heat, so they are used, for example, in electric heaters, stoves and furnaces.

Electric energy can also be converted to light. The early arc lights depended on the electrical discharge over a small gap to heat the air to the point where it shines and the mdpopel; The same principle as Lightning. Later, the fiber bulb was introduced: it relies on the fact that the current causes that a thin, curled wire shines with white. Modern, energy -efficient bulbs pass through a high voltage atDem thin gas, causing an ultraviolet light that hits a fluorescent coating to form a visible light.

When a conductive material like a copper wire moves in the magnetic field, the current is generated. On the contrary, the current flowing through the wire, if it experiences a magnetic field, produces movement. This is the principle behind the electric motor. These devices consist of the arrangement of magnets and copper wire coils so that when the current flows through the wire, the rotary movement is formed. Electric motors are widely used in industry and households, such as washing machines and DVD players.

Measurement of electricity

energy is measured in joules, which is a term named after physician James Prescott Joule. One joule is roughly the amount of energy needed to raise the weight of one pound (0.45 kilograms) vertical distance of nine inches (22.9 cm). However, it is usually more convenient to think of electricity in terms of energy that is divided by energy at the time or speed it flows. This gives possibleá the more well -known unit Watta, named after scientists James Watt. One watt is equivalent to one joule per second.

There are a number of other units that relate to electricity. Coulomb is a unit of electric charge. It can be considered as an amount of electrons - 1.6 x 10

19 - because all electrons have the same, very small, charge. The ampere, usually shortened to the "amplifiers", is a unit of electric current or the number of electrons that flow at a given time. One amplifier is equivalent to one Coulomb per second.

Volt is a unit of electromotive force or the amount of energy that is transferred to a unit of charge or Coulomb. One volt corresponds to one joule of energy transmitted for each Coulomb charge. WATTS force is equivalent to a multiplied amplifier, so a current of five amperes at 100 volts would correspond to 500 watts.

generation of electricity

Most electricity are generated by devices that convert rotary movement into electricalKou energy, using the same principle as the electric motor, but the opposite. The movement of the wire coils in the magnetic field creates an electric current. Generally, heat, often generated by fossil fuel combustion, is used to make steam that drives the turbine to ensure rotary movement. At a nuclear power plant, nuclear energy provides heat. The hydroelectric force uses water movement under gravity to control the turbine.

Electricity produced in power plants is generally in the form of alternating current (AC). This means that the current constantly changes its direction, many times per second. Proven purposes, AC works well, so electricity gets into the house. However, some industrial processes require a direct current (DC) that flows only in one direction. For example, the production of certain chemicals uses electrolysis: division of compounds into elements or simpler compounds by electricity. This requires direct current, so this industry will require AC to convert AC to DC or have its own DC delivery.

is more efficienttransmit electricity for electric lines at higher voltages. For this reason, generating plants use devices called transformers to increase the transmission voltage. This does not increase energy or energy: when the voltage is increased, the current is reduced and vice versa. There are many thousands of volts over long distances of electricity transmission; However, these voltages cannot be used in households. Local transformers reduce tensions to approximately 110 volts in the US and 220-240 volts in Europe, F or household needs.

Electricity for small low -performance devices is often supplied by batteries. They use chemical energy to generate relatively small electric current. They always create a direct current and therefore have a negative and positive terminal. When the perimeter is completed, electrons flow from the negative to the positive terminal.